Separatist's Conviction Thrown Out By Texas Court

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE - SOUTH

August 28, 1999

EL PASO, Texas - A Texas appeals court Friday overturned an organized-crime conviction against the leader of the separatist Republic of Texas group, saying there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction. Richard McLaren was sentenced to 99 years in jail in 1997 on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity by ordering the kidnapping of a married couple, an incident that led to a seven-day standoff with law-enforcement officers. Despite his acquittal on the state charge of organized criminal activity, there seemed to be little prospect that McLaren would be released from jail in the near future because of other charges against him.